“It’s not reincarnation, but past life regression!” Vikram Bhatt has explained it time and again and now we agree. Dangerous Ishhq is a beautifully narrated story that manages to invoke your curiosity

With no expectations or probably an already set prejudice that the film will bore me death, I entered the theatre to see what Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous Ishhq has to offer. The film starts by introducing Sanjana (Karisma Kapoor) as the showstopper for Manish Malhotra’s fashion show, with Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal) admiring his lady love as he sits with his younger brother (Ruslaan Mumtaz) and a doctor friend (Divya Dutta). Sanjana and Rohan spend an entire night together discussing their future, marriage and kids. But their romantic chit-chat is interrupted by a gang of masked goons who kidnap Rohan, leaving Sanjana unconscious. She wakes up in the hospital as someone else (yes, you read that right) from a past life and begins speaking Urdu. Seeing this, Divya introduces her to a doctor who is an expert on past life regression therapies.

The therapy takes her back to 1947, when India and Pakistan were divided, and to the bloodshed that followed. As she pursues the story, Sanjana witnesses the death of her sister (Divya Dutta’s past life) and sees how Rohan is also killed. The doctor explains that in any lifetime, it is not only the ones we love, but also our enemies that are reborn. Armed with a clue to Rohan’s kidnapping, Sanjana meets ACP Singh (Jimmy Shergill) and tells him that she knows a face with which to connect the kidnapping. But their search is futile, as no such person exists.

The police trail a tip that would probably lead them to Rohan, but it happens to be a trap set by the kidnappers. Stuck under debris, Sanjana has a memory flash of another past life from the 1690s. This time she is to marry Rohan, a soldier in Aurangzeb’s army, preparing for battle. Unfortunately, he dies on the battlefield. But Sanjana later learns that he is in enemy captivity. With a little bit more information on who is behind the kidnapping, Sanjana confronts the person and they manage to find Rohan, but in a life-threatening situation.

Sanjana has her third memory flash of her life in the1490s, wherein lies the reason of her reincarnation and the identity of her enemy. The rest of the story revolves around finding the kidnapper and explanations as to why her love never succeeded, even through so many lifetimes.

Vikram Bhatt has done a good job at interweaving the past and the present. The story narration was to the point, which made it an interesting watch. The idea of past life regression is novel, but not many will relate to it or understand its intricacies. The story keeps you on tenterhooks. Kuldip K Menon’s editing hits the nail, especially in a scene where both past and present run simultaneously.

Karisma Kapoor looks stunning in every life she portrays, especially the 1690s. But the actor is slowly inching towards being anorexic. Her desperation and outburst to find Rohan and to reveal the real truth are beautifully rendered. Clearly, in these six long years away from cinema, Karisma hasn’t forgotten her acting skills. Rajneesh Duggal, in the little screen time he had, gives a below average performance. He has no chemistry with Karisma. Their intimate hugs look forced and awkward. Jimmy Shergill gives a powerful act with minimal dialogue. Ravi Kissen makes you sit up and take notice and Divya Dutta is her usual self, especially with her plunging neckline and flabby tummy. A rather plump Gracy Singh is a wasted element in the film.

The 3D work still looks very amateur and is rather painful to the eyes. Action and characters are blurred and often appear doubled. At times, the script ignores the concept of logic – when Karisma, a civilian joins the police unit to search for Rohan with a gun, for instance. And sometimes it goes over the top, with the dark sorcerer and use of black magic. Moviegoers may like the film for its concept and for Karisma Kapoor, but enduring bad 3D – maybe not! All in all, the story is interesting, but if you are not a believer in past life regression or find fantasy fiction a waste of time, this one is not for you.